Job Description
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Specialist will report to and work under the guidance of the Senior Education Advisor to provide technical leadership for the formulation, design, planning, implementation , monitoring and evaluation of Save the Children Uganda’s ECCE and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) portfolio currently valued at $1,000,000. The role holder will ensure the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the programme management, delivery and accomplishment of ECCE strategic outcomes and individual programme and project goals and objectives in line with SCI Uganda country office Education program portfolio.
Using SCI ECCE/D common approaches contextualised to Uganda and other play-based, child-centred and child well-being methodologies, the specialist will provide tehnical oversight in the implementation of SCI innovative ECCE/D projects, supported by private, and bilateral and multi-lateral institutional donors, including Lego, and the Sesame Workshop.. The role-holder will lead ECCE/D programme design and implementation, staff capacity strengthening, timely monitoring and reporting, designing and carrying out evaluation and learning activities. The Specialist will lead national-level ECCD/E coordination with key stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and in collaboration with the Child Protection and Health teams, work with the Ministry of Gender, Labor Social Development (MoGLSD), the UN, INGOs and National NGOs, and communities to deliver change for children in both emergency and development contexts. The role holder will also be accountable for supporting an improved enabling national ECCE/Dpolicy environment, promoting increased funding and access to quality ECCE, identifying and addressing access/quality inequities in ECCE/D, and support identifying and developing innovative approaches and programmes for improved scale and impact.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Senior Education Advisor
Staff reporting to this post: None
Indirect : 3 Project Managers/Coordinators (in charge of implementing ECCE/D projects across the CO make up the national team along with project officers that this position leads)
Budget Responsibilities: $100,000 related to national technical and advocacy activities
Role Dimensions: The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Save the Children Country Office PDQ team, MEAL, Communications and Advocacy colleagues, and technical counterparts within SCI globally and ECCE/D other organisations. The role will engage with National ECCE/D technical working groups and communities of practice.
Provide overall leadership for the strategic development and quality implementation of ECCE/D programme, including development of strategic plans and the portfolio of projects, research and initiatives required to achieve of strategic objectives and outcomes
- Lead the strategic planning process for ECCE/D sub sector and then annual operational planning based on the strategic plan, and regular internal program planning and review meetings, as well as related inputs to quarterly and annual reports
- Lead and oversee implementation of SCI ECCE national level technical projects or activities
- Communicate program achievements against agreed strategic objectives and milestones, and any emerging new evidence for a wide range of internal and external audiences
- Actively communicate and coordinate with the other relevant technical specialists and project managers to ensure synergy and integrated approaches across themes that are evidence-based and good practice
- Develop and maintain strong external relations with key stakeholders in particular donors, Ministry of Education, the UN and national education coordination networks and platforms
- Regularly coordinate with Save the Children global technical colleagues to ensure regular project and programmatic results, priorities and needs, to request technical support as needed, to coordinate programmatic visits and contribute to member-level advocacy and fundraising
- Ensure capacity building for project staff, government officials, and partners on relevant approaches, SC Common approaches, and other identified and prioritized ECCE/D technical capacity needs
Program Development
- Contribute to the development and regular updating of an SCI Uganda ECCE/D fundraising opportunities, working proactively with the Business Development (BD) team, SC members and donors in identifying funding opportunities
- Identify innovative, evidence-based, needs-based, relevant and technically sound project ideas, approaches and methodologies that contribute to achieving its strategic goals in collaboration with BD team and SC members.
- Support pre-positioning for identified opportunities including understanding MoES and donor priorities and identifying international and national partners
- Ensure that high quality technical inputs are provided while designing new education and ECCD/E project proposals through the full application of SCI’s Common Approaches, programming principles, and theory of change
- Ensure that technical proposals are relevant and needs-based through quality and technically sound needs assesments and child and other project participant consultations and ensuring stakeholder-mappings
- In collaboration with MEAL, ensure current technical knowledge, research, evidence, lessons learned and good practice inform new program design
Program Quality and Effectiveness
- Identify needs and opportunities to share learning and strengthen programming across the humanitarian and development portfolio and work closely with the Senior Education Advisor, global and regional Technical Advisors, and education Project Managers to support quality assurance and ensure sustained quality impace in all ECCE/D projects
- Maintain regular contact with project implementation teams to assess technical and quality aspects and needs of program implementation, provide ongoing follow up and support; ensure an annual technical support work-plan and report to line manager on progress of key agreed actions with project teams
- Support quality assurance and quality improvements through the provision of continuous capacity assessment and improvement measures and through the use of quality benchmarks
- Ensure all ECCD/E programs use evidence based solutions adapted to their context, including SCI common approaches, programming principles, global strategies and humanitarian minimum standards
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor degree (Education/ECCE/D) from a recorgnised institution. A relevant postgraduate qualification will be an added advantage.
- Demonstrated experience (three years or more) in the design, implementation and monitoring of education/ECCE/D programmes in humanitarian/development context.
- Demonstrated experience (three years or more) in teaching and teacher professional development in domestic and/or international contexts.
- Familiality with the Uganda Ealry Childhood Learning Standards and ECCDvFramewor
